AP file photoIf Johan Franzen, right, did this more often to players like Nashville's Shea Weber, Red Wings fans might cut him a break.

Johan Franzen has become a lightning rod for criticism among many Detroit Red Wings fans.

They see his combination of skills and size (6-foot-2, 220) and wonder why he isn't one of the premier power forwards in the NHL.

He has good hands and a terrific shot – the puck explodes off his stick without much recoil. He has averaged nearly 30 goals in his past four full seasons. He has come up big in the playoffs, with 31 goals and 59 points between 2008-10.

He has the ability to dominate games and score goals in bunches.

But, many believe he floats too much, doesn't always skate hard and disappears for long stretches.

In the latest installment of “Ask Ansar,'' one M-Live reader wonders if the criticism is justified.

Q. Seems like everyone on the forum jumps all over Franzen for inconsistent effort. I’m not local and don’t see a lot of games, but when I do I’m not sure I see the same thing. Is what people are saying accurate? Do you get any sense from insiders that they see the same problem?--Harry.

A. I think some of the criticism is valid. He lacks intensity at times and goes through stretches where he isn't noticeable. After scoring five goals against Ottawa midway through the 2010-11 season, he inexplicably scored just two goals in the final 27 games.

There always is a scapegoat for a team's failures. After the Red Wings' first-round playoff loss to Nashville, many fans lashed out at Franzen, some saying he should be traded.

Franzen might be their most tradable asset, but be careful what you wish for.

He has a low salary-cap hit ($3.95 million) for a player who finds a way to score almost 30 goals every season. That offense would be virtually impossible to replace at that price.

Q. Where on earth will offense come from if they can’t swing a trade? Do you think (Danny) Cleary or Franzen have any meaningful trade value? (Ian) White or (Jakub) Kindl?--Harry.

A. Franzen has trade value, but, coming off an injury-plagued season, I don't think Cleary does right now. And they're in no position to deal a defenseman. If they can't swing a trade, then the offense will have to come from within, from secondary sources like Cleary, Mikael Samuelsson and newcomer Damien Brunner.

Q. With the unusually high number of forwards signed for the upcoming season, does management have different possible trading scenarios to cut the number down? If not, do the signings of Brunner, Samuelsson and (Jordin) Tootoo spell the end of their Detroit days for players like (Drew) Miller, (Patrick) Eaves, (Cory) Emmerton and (Jan) Mursak?--Nicolas.

A. I'm sure they have various scenarios on how to meet the 23-man roster limit. It starts with whether Brunner and Gustav Nyquist make the team, because they are exempt from waivers and can be sent down to Grand Rapids without risk of losing them. Including those two and Justin Abdelkader (a restricted free agent who will sign soon), they have 16 forwards and will need to trim two (they're expected to carry 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders). One or two might be packaged for a defenseman. If they make no more moves before training camp, I think Miller and Eaves are safe, while Emmerton and Mursak would be the most susceptible of the group to being dealt or waived before the start of the season.

Q. With the Red Wings' abundance of forwards, what is expected to happen with Emmerton?--Nathan.

A. Being a center gave Emmerton an advantage over other fourth-line players last season. He ended up playing 71 games. This year, they have Abdelkader penciled in as their fourth-line center. Emmerton will be competing for not only for a spot in the lineup, but also on the roster.

Q. Against the grain, I feel like lack of energy and finishing on offense is a much bigger problem than defense. Part of that is I feel like (Kyle) Quincey and (Jonathan) Ericsson are perfectly legitimate top-four partners for (Niklas) Kronwall and White, and maybe (Brendan) Smith even more so if he settles down. Valid?--Harry.

A. I think that would be valid if Nicklas Lidstrom hadn't retired and Brad Stuart hadn't left for San Jose. As much as goal-scoring was a problem against Nashville in the playoffs, defense is the bigger issue now, after losing two top-four D-men. That's a lot of minutes to replace. There's nobody left in free agency who you can say is a definite top-four defenseman. And getting such a player through trade will be expensive. It's imperative for Quincey to settle down, Ericsson to continue progressing, Kronwall to cut down on mistakes, White to prove he can thrive without Lidstrom and Smith to show why they're so high on him.

Q. What do you envision the lines looking like on opening night (assuming no more moves in free agency)?--Brett.

A. LW-C-RW: Franzen-Pavel Datsyuk-Brunner, Valtteri Filppula-Henrik Zetterberg-Samuelsson, Cleary-Darren Helm-Todd Bertuzzi, Miller-Abdelkader-Tootoo. They also have Eaves, Emmerton, Mursak and Nyquist, and room for only 14 forwards. Nyquist will be in Grand Rapids if he's not in the Red Wings' lineup. But, your guess is as good as mine. I'm sure everyone has their own projections for line combinations.

Q. Beyond (Zach) Parise and (Ryan) Suter, it appeared to be a pretty thin free agent class. Why is that? What happened to the days when talent like (Luc) Robitaille, (Dominik) Hasek, (Brett) Hull, (Brendan) Shanahan, etc., were available (I realize these guys weren't all free agents when we got them, but still, talent like this doesn't seem available anymore)?--TB.

A. It's simple. Look at all the lengthy deals teams dole out to lock up their top players – seven, eight, nine … even 14 years. Clubs have taken advantage of a loophole in the CBA by front-loading long-term contracts and adding some cheap years at the end ($1 million per) to lower the cap hits. That's why we're seeing fewer stars hit free agency.

Q. Will we lose yet another full or partial NHL season due to the CBA? Can you help us understand what both sides are asking for so we know who to cheer for? --TB.

A. I'd be shocked if the entire season were canceled, like the debacle that was 2004-05. I think there's a chance that a portion of the season could be scrapped, but I also believe there is more hope this time than there was in 2004 for getting a new labor agreement without missing any games. What are the sides looking for? In a nutshell, the owners want a bigger piece of the pie (players currently receive 57 percent of revenues). The league, according to reports, also wants to cap the length of contracts to five years, raise the age for unrestricted free agency from 27 to 30 and extend entry-level contracts from a maximum of three years to five. I don't believe it's been reported what the players want. They should be happy to keep things the way they are.

Q. What will happen to the Winter Classic if a lockout delays the start of the season? Would the Winter Classic be postponed if the lockout lasts longer than December, or might it even be completely canceled? If the season starts in December, is it likely the league will stick with the current date, even though it might mean that they can't run the usual build-up with HBO's 24/7? (which in my opinion would be extremely bad for the league, judging by the hype this documentary has generated over the past two seasons).--Nik.

A. I think the NHL will feel urgency to get a labor deal done in time for the Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium. It's too important an event for the league. I suppose they could push back the date, as long as NBC allows it. But that would be a colossal headache for all involved, considering the many events at Comerica Park leading up to Winter Classic game.

Q. As you know, Parise and Suter signed matching contracts for around a $7.5 million cap hit. If you had the option of taking both, one or none of these contracts and putting them on the Wings, would you? I would pay Parise $7.5 million per season, but $7.5 million for a 40-50 point defenseman is a little stupid. Suter is way overpaid. --Chris.

A. That is a lot of money to pay for someone who's never been a finalist for the Norris Trophy and probably never will be. So, no, I wouldn't have paid Suter that much. Same with Parise. But, that's the price you have to pay in a weak free-agent market.

Thanks for the questions. We'll likely do this again in a month or so.